" "Well, then," said he, "give me--in the latter part of
spring--dressed in full spring-tide attire--in company with five or six
young fellows of twenty, [27] or six or seven lads under that age, to do
the ablutions in the I stream, enjoy a breeze in the rain-dance, [28]
and finish up with songs on the road home."
The Master drew in his breath, sighed, and exclaimed, "Ah, I take with
you!"
The three other disciples having gone out, leaving Tsang Sin behind, the
latter said, "What think you of the answers of those three?"--"Well,
each told me what was uppermost in his mind," said the Master;--"simply
that."
"Why did you smile at Tsz-lu, sir?"
"I smiled at him because to have the charge of a State requires due
regard to the Rules of Propriety, and his words betrayed a lack of
modesty."
"But Yen, then--he had a State in view, had he not?"
"I should like to be shown a territory such as he described which does
not amount to a State."
"But had not Kung-si also a State in view?"
"What are ancestral temples and Grand Receptions, but for the feudal
lords to take part in? If Kung-si were to become an unimportant
assistant at these functions, who could become an important one?"
[Footnote 26: The men of virtuous life were Yen Yuen (Hwui), Min
Tsz-k'ien, Yen Pihniu, and Chung-kung (Yen Yung); the speakers and
debaters were Tsai Wo and Tsz-kung; the (capable) government servants
were Yen Yu and Tsz-lu; the literary students, Tsz-yu and Tsz-hia.
Pages:
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83